8 big names who missed the cut at Royal Portrush
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These guys will have the weekend off after they missed the cut at The Open…
While the usual suspects – and a couple of not-so-usual suspects – are riding high at Royal Portrush, several notable names will have missed the cut at The Open. Not Bryson DeChambeau or Wyndham Clark, though. Despite disastrous opening rounds (+7 and +5 respectively), the major champions both fought back to reach the weekend – DeChambeau on +1 and Clark on level par.
If you’re not familiar with how the cut is determined at The Open, you can find out right here. In the meantime, these household names are already on their way to George Best Airport to hot-foot it out of Northern Ireland, having failed to make the mark at +1…
Jason Day
73-71 (+2)
The former World No.1 had a long birdie putt on the 18th to make the weekend, but it slid by, and with it the need for him to wear any more billowing Malbon pants in the Northern Irish breeze. Has now missed both cuts at the Royal Portrush Opens, but this was his first missed weekend in the final men’s major since 2021. Of the nine Aussies who teed it up on the Dunluce Links, only Marc Leishman remains.
Joaquin Niemann
70-73 (+2)
Enjoying an incredible season on LIV, and when he finally recorded a first major top 10 at the PGA Championship, we all expected the man who Phil Mickelson believes is the best player in the world to kick on and push for a first title, but the Chilean has gone MC-MC since then. As he stood on the 18th tee on Friday, he was inside the line, but having taken three to get up and down from 13 yards off the green he slipped outside and can head over to the JCB Golf and Country Club for some early prep ahead of next week’s LIV Golf UK. Or he can just look at some diggers.
Patrick Cantlay
73-72 (+3)
Several of Cantlay’s peers selected him as the best player yet to win a major ahead of The Open, so at least he can keep that title for a while longer. The American needed a good week to get himself into the Ryder Cup spots and battled hard on Friday, but even a birdie on the final hole wasn’t enough to avoid a third major missed cut of the season for the first time in his career. We’ll have to wait and see whether the cap fitters need to supply some bigger sizes for Bethpage, but the one he wore this week won’t be required for the weekend.
Patrick Reed
77-70 (+5)
You have to feel this is Captain America’s shot at returning to the Ryder Cup team gone. Went under par in tough conditions on Friday but couldn’t do enough to prevent only his third major missed cut since The Open in 2021, and will now have to rely on an unlikely captain’s pick from Keegan Bradley. A shame, really, because ‘Captain America’ at Bethpage would have been a LOT of fun. Still, he’ll have the comfort of always getting picked for The 4 Aces.
Brooks Koepka
75-74 (+7)
He’s won five of them, but Brooks Koepka will be glad this major season is over. He’s missed the cut in three of the four for the first time in his career, having made all four for the past two years. Came to Portrush with high hopes after a T12 at the US Open, but made 10 bogeys, a double, and just five birdies through 36 holes. The LIV star’s last four Open starts now read MC-T64-T43-MC. More trash than smash.
Collin Morikawa
75-74 (+7)
When Morikawa and caddie Billy Foster teamed up ahead of the Scottish Open, it felt like the beginning of something special. Instead, Morikawa has missed back-to-back cuts for the first time since the 2022 Scottish Open and Open Championship. It’s the American’s third missed cut in four Open starts since he lifted the Claret Jug at Royal St George’s on debut in 2021. The World No.1 had managed at least one top ten in a major in every season since, but a T14 at The Masters is his best in 2025. The Foster partnership was only pencilled in for a fortnight – highly unlikely it’ll be penned now.
Cameron Smith
72-78 (+8)
Nearly missed the ball on the 1st tee on Thursday, but having overcome that, the Aussie battled to a one-over 72 and showed signs of the Smith of old. On Friday, the Smith of new returned as the 2022 champion (and man many had tipped to become World No.1) made it four missed cuts from four at the majors in 2025 – the only man to do so. It’s the first time it has happened in his career, and he’s now on a run of five in a row, having gone home early at Troon last year. Strewth.
Adam Scott
72-79 (+9)
The Aussie said, “I still think the dream can come true,” when asked about his chances of lifting the Claret Jug at the start of the week. After round one, it looked plausible. The Aussie was five shots off the lead heading into round two but made three doubles on his way to a Friday 79 as he failed to build on his performance at the US Open and a T10 last year. This was his first missed cut at The Open since it was last at Portrush in 2019. If he wants another shot at the “dream” at Birkdale in 2025, he’ll need to qualify first.
Former Champion Golfers who missed the cut at The Open
Zach Johnson (+3)
Stewart Cink (+4)
Louis Oosthuizen (+6)
Darren Clarke (+6)
Collin Morikawa (+7)
Cameron Smith (+8)
Padraig Harrington (+9)
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Morikawa, Koepka, and Scott were among the star players heading home early from Royal Portrush.
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Brooks Koepka struggled with a knee problem at The Open.
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Collin Morikawa cut a lonely figure during the first round of the 2025 Open.
